I have used these Savarez KF strings on harps for some time now. I understood the original post to be about some newer version. I ave no way to ferret the truth out of Savarez's promo material. I don;t know if they discovered the formula in a cave or have found some suitable type fishing line but, KFs are definitely different from some other fluorocarbon strings. They are not as bright as Kueschners. They stretch a mile when they are first put on but are quite stable after a couple of weeks. Even though they stretch a lot at first, they have a stiffer, less stretchy feel when they they settle in. In feel and sound they are more like gut than they are like the Tynex nylon often used for instrument strings. That they are available for harps just means that they are available in red and blue, in long lengths and are packaged for harps. Long lengths are the only thing that advantages a lutenist. They are available from: http://www.lyramusic.com/strings.html Craig Craig R. Pierpont Another Era Lutherie www.anotherera.com --- On Fri, 12/10/10, Martyn Hodgson <hodgsonmar...@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
From: Martyn Hodgson <hodgsonmar...@yahoo.co.uk> Subject: [LUTE] Re: Re New Savarez harp strings? To: "Lute List" <lute@cs.dartmouth.edu>, "Martin Shepherd" <mar...@luteshop.co.uk> Date: Friday, December 10, 2010, 7:45 AM Thank you for this Martin and Anthony. These strings are interesting as a further alternative to loaded, wire wound and the 'spring' string; especially for those with a large number of instruments to string. I looked into these Saverez KF strings some time ago (are you sure they're 'new' out?) and had reports at the time that they were simply PVF(carbon) strings like any other of the same ilk. I'd be grateful for any clarification you can offer. Martin, you say they only become multi strand above 0.95mm dia but in Anthony's message he gives someone using thinner KF strings with the implication that they are these new multi-strand type. 'an example of the stringing he uses on a lute or 7c Vihuela : g' KFN33 - d' KFN43 - a KFN52 - f KFN66-33 - c KFN84 - 43,5 - G KFN 112 - 57 - F KFN126 - 62.' Is it possible that the 'new' aspect of these KF strings are that Saverez now makes these multistrand strings at smaller diameters? What's the signoficance of the N in KFN? Does it mean new/nouveau type of KF strings? The Saverez website is next to useless only giving marketing blurb and lists of available sizes but says the strings are made from 'composite fibres' which again implies that all sizes are multi strand. They also make the claim that they are new but perhaps they simply haven't updated an old website? ALLIANCE KF COMPOSITE, Strings for harp A real innovation! This strings are manufactured from composites fibres A production which requires fine and sophisticated technologies that only Savarez could implement until now. Thanks to the technologies, Savarez can produce strings which geometrical qualities are perfect and which resist to the tensions required by the harp. Many years of work and a focusing of complicated technologies were necessary to obtain such a result. A long work on the molecules, some molecular relationships and the rate of "cristalinity" allow Savarez to obtain an elongation and an elasticity identical to the ones of the gut. The density of these strings is extremely close to the one of the gut, so the comparison takes more value. So though gut strings still are very popular, Alliance KF strings have a perfect alternative sound for those who wish to take profit of gut sound and synthetic strings advantages. --- On Fri, 10/12/10, Martin Shepherd <[1]mar...@luteshop.co.uk> wrote: From: Martin Shepherd <[2]mar...@luteshop.co.uk> Subject: [LUTE] Re: Re New Savarez harp strings? To: "Lute List" <[3]l...@cs.dartmouth.edu> Date: Friday, 10 December, 2010, 12:19 Dear All, I have been using these KF strings for some years. The smallest diameter is .95mm, but this is the equivalent of a gut string of about 1.07mm. The one I use is "KF95A", but I think the "A" just refers to the fact that it is a 2m length. It works well as a 5th course on a renaissance lute (with an octave - I have not tried unison). It looks more like a gut string, opaque rather than clear. I have not tried the thicker strings, but it seems that it might be worth a try - I think Jacob Heringman may have done so. I think the next size down is .91mm, but it is a plain monofilament PVF string. I think some people are using them for a unison 5th course. Best wishes, Martin On 10/12/2010 10:05, Anthony Hind wrote: > Dear Theo > > Just recently on the French Lute list, Carlos Gonzales, president of the Sp > anish Vihuela society, and lutemaker, has sopoken highly of these strings vihuel > a (President Carlos Gonzales)spoke about this; > > See the thread here, > $ > Re: [Le_luth] Cordes vihuela - demande `a Carlos > $ > [1][1][4]http://fr.groups.yahoo.com/group/Le_luth/message/12239 > $ > has said that for the last few years he has been using these Savarez KF > strings made specially for harps, as basses for lutes baroque guitars > and vihuelas. He confirms that they are made up of thinner strands > glued together, and that he finds them "very balanced, as sweet as the > human voice". He admits that you need to get used to their thickness, > but it remains thinner than pure gut types. > He gives an example of the stringing he uses on a lute or 7c Vihuela : > g' KFN33 - d' KFN43 - a KFN52 - f KFN66-33 - c KFN84 - 43,5 - G KFN 112 > - 57 - F KFN126 - 62. > He goes on to say that his wife has used them for some years, and that > in his experience, it is hard to come back to wirewounds after using > them. Although, he says he has heard that some players wax their wire > wounds to make them less bright. > $ > It seems that at the next [2]Festival de Musica Antigua at Gijon, the > topic of strings will be on the agenda, and he hopes that it will be > possible to compare these harp strings, with Charles Besnainou's spring > strings (Charles is invited to this meeting), and Mimmo Peruffo's > loaded strings. Carlos hopes to make acoustic analyses of these > differents string types, in his sound laboratory. > $ > Please note that I am only reporting Carlos's words, and not endorsing > them, as I have never heard these strings. I have heard both Charles > Besnainou's ultra low impedance spring strings, and myself use low > impedance loaded strings, which I find excellent, when used in the > right combination of strings (see the recent loaded string thread). > Charles' spring strings can either be made of carbon or of gut, but I > have only heard the gut strings on bowed instruments. I did hear his > carbon springs on his lutes: I would say that they are very free and > open, with excellent high frequency content (low impedance), but they > also did add a plasticky sound to the overall sound-mix; which was not > at all the case with the bowed gut spring strings. I wonder to what > extent the KF harps stirings add that plasticky quality, or whether the > fact that they are composites gets round the bell like sound of most > carbon strings. > $ > Stephen Gottlieb who is reputed for using only gut basses on his lutes > (mainly those of George Stoppani), mentionned that he had tried some > carbon KF basses, which he had had to cut down to get through the > bridge holes; but he said they were rather good. I imagine these could > be the same strings. > Regards > Anthony > epuis quelques annees j'utilise des cordes Savarez KF conc,ues pour les > harpes "carbone file carbone". En fait se sont les cordes KF `a partir > du diametre 0,95, au lieu d'etre du monofilament elles se presentent > sous la forme d'un monofilament avec des tres fins brins colles. Je les > utilise pour les bourdons et on peut corder une vihuela, une guitare > baroque ou un luth sept choeurs sans cordes filees metal. Je trouve le > son tres equilibre et les basses douces comme des voix humaines. Il > faut s'y habituer aux grosses diametres , meme si en boyau les graves > seraient encore plus grosses. > Un exemple de cordage pour luth ou vihuela `a 7 choeurs: g' KFN33 - d' > KFN43 - a KFN52 - f KFN66-33 - c KFN84 - 43,5 - G KFN 112 - 57 - F > KFN126 - 62. > Mon epouse Mabel les utilise depuis des annees, et il faut dire > qu'apres on a du mal `a revenir aux cordes filees metal. J'ai entendu > dire que certains enduisent de cire les cordes filees pour les rendre > plus mates, mais je n'ai jamais essaye. > Cela dit on est toujours `a la recherche d'autres solutions, comme les > cordes spiralees de Charles Besnainou ou les cordes chargees en metal > de Mimmo Peruffo. C'est pour c,a que j'aimerais qu'ils nous parlent de > leurs experiences `a Gijon et qu'on puisse les y analyser dans > l'atelier d'acoustique. > Amities > Carlos > > I was recently at a harp convention (wife is a harpist), and a harp repairman > told me about a new advance in strings from Savarez, > that they have produced a nylon string (NOT carbon fibre, nor other synthetic) > that has fibres of some sort imbedded within, > The fibres apparently lend both strength and warmth, to sound and feel more > like gut. > I checked the Savarez website but the site has scant information (at least in > the english site). > Does anyone know more about these strings, or is this just rumor/bad > information? > cheers, trj > > -- > To get on or off this list see list information at > [3][2][5]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html > > -- > > References > > 1. [3][6]http://fr.groups.yahoo.com/group/Le_luth/message/12239 > 2. [4][7]http://www.musicaantiguagijon.com/ > 3. [5][8]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/%7Ewbc/lute-admin/index.html > -- References 1. [9]http://fr.groups.yahoo.com/group/Le_luth/message/12239 2. [10]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html 3. [11]http://fr.groups.yahoo.com/group/Le_luth/message/12239 4. [12]http://www.musicaantiguagijon.com/ 5. [13]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html -- References 1. file://localhost/mc/compose?to=mar...@luteshop.co.uk 2. file://localhost/mc/compose?to=mar...@luteshop.co.uk 3. file://localhost/mc/compose?to=l...@cs.dartmouth.edu 4. http://fr.groups.yahoo.com/group/Le_luth/message/12239 5. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/%7Ewbc/lute-admin/index.html 6. http://fr.groups.yahoo.com/group/Le_luth/message/12239 7. http://www.musicaantiguagijon.com/ 8. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/%7Ewbc/lute-admin/index.html 9. http://fr.groups.yahoo.com/group/Le_luth/message/12239 10. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/%7Ewbc/lute-admin/index.html 11. http://fr.groups.yahoo.com/group/Le_luth/message/12239 12. http://www.musicaantiguagijon.com/ 13. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/%7Ewbc/lute-admin/index.html